Native Village
Youth and Education News
January 1, 2008 Issue 183 Volume 2
During the first Gulf war a group of
native Americans
in Oregon wrote an open letter to President George Bush, Sr., ridiculing his
pretext for attacking Iraq:
"Dear President Bush," it read.
"Please send your
assistance in freeing our small nation from occupation. This foreign force
occupied our lands to steal our rich resources ... As in your own words, 'The
occupation and overthrow of one small nation is one too many.' Yours sincerely,
An American Indian."
Navajo Head Start Program has New Permanent Director
Navajo Reservation, New Mexico: The Navajo Nation Head Start program is under
new leadership. The new director is Spencer Willie, the government liaison for
the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. Soon, federal officials will determine
whether the deficiencies that closed the program last year have been corrected.
The Navajo Head Start program is among the nation's largest Indian Head Start
programs.
photo: Navajo Nation Head Start
H-Amindian Listserve
Cherokee Nation Takes Part in Early
Childhood Pilot Program
Cherokee
Reservation, OK: The Cherokee Nation is taking part in the State Pilot Early
Childhood Program. The program was created by the Oklahoma Legislature in 2006.
It encourages philanthropists to match state funds to provide quality early
education for low-income children from birth to age 5. The Cherokee Nation has
provided more than $80,000 to help fund the project. The program provides
learning opportunities and family support services that expose babies and young
children to education before ever entering kindergarten.
H-Amindian Listserve
Douglas Middle School gets grant to
tutor Native students
South Dakota: Native American students at Douglas Middle School will have
tutoring services designed specifically for them. The school district received a
$20,607 Title VII grant to fund a reading tutor. "I'm thrilled," said interim
principal Harry Brenden. Douglas School hopes to fill the position with a
Native American. "We need more Native American role models for our Native
American students," said Loren Scheer, school superintendent. "That would
definitely be an advantage."
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2007/11/14/news/local/doc473a8bc2e9cb2928978150.txt
Indian educators see signs of progress
Montana: Positive achievements in American Indian education were discussed
during the first Urban Indian Education Forum held in Billings. Educators from
many of Montana's largest school districts attended the two-day conference.
"There's a lot of good stuff going on out there, and I don't think we focus on
that enough," said Mike Jetty. American Indian students face different
challenges in urban schools, said conference organizers. Jetty said that
improvements are being made one child at a time. Teachers are recognizing that
because of their culture, American Indian students have a different learning
style. By teaching to a variety of learning styles, teachers serve all their
students better. "What works for native kids might be a pretty good method for
most kids," said one educator.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/12/08/news/local/39-educators.prt
Tribal dancers share heritage with students
North Carolina: Students from the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School Dance team
recently performed for students from the Rocky Mount Academy. The Haliwa-Saponi
students, dressed in their traditional regalia, told the tales behind each dance
to give insight to their heritage. "We just want them to understand our
culture," said Kayla Lynch, Haliwa-Saponi senior. "We have certain things that
are dear to us." For Haliwa-Saponis, tribal dances are learned at an early age.
Children attend weekly culture classes to learn the tribe's language, dances and
other cultural traditions. "We want people to realize Native Americans were
first here, and we're still here, " said tribal member Gwen Richardson.
Victor Rocha's Daily News Digest
Native community angry after police question teen about shirt
Ontario: The Nishnawbe Aski Nation is angry with the Thunder Bay Police after a
tribal youth was embarrassed and interrogated during a field trip. Abraham
Miles, 17, was touring the Thunder Bay Police Service wearing a shirt that
displayed the image of a Native war chief. When a police officer remarked that
his T-shirt was associated with gangs. Mr. Miles was ordered to remove his shirt
in front of peers. Then he was taken to a separate room for questioning without
an adult present. "What crime did he commit other than being a native person?
Wearing a shirt the policeman didn't like?" asked Stan Beardy, Grand Chief of
the Nishnawbe Aski Nation. He pointed to the larger issue of the racial
profiling of native people by police. "The truth is, he was out here by
himself, 500 miles from home. English is his second language. If that young
man, 17 years old, tried to make reason with a six-foot policeman that weighs
300 pounds, what are [his] chances of being heard?" Mr. Miles, who attends
Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School, is from the Fort Severn First Nation.
His t-shirt is from Warchief Native Apparel, a clothing line that "promotes
pride and unity among all First Nations through fashion," according to its
website.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071204.wfieldtrip04/BNStory/National/home
History is alive at Cankdeska
Spirit Lake Reservation, North Dakota: Cankdeska Cikana Community College in
Fort Totten, N.D. was recently celebrated as “the little college that could. ”
The 36-year-old college has suddenly jumped to almost 230 students this year.
There is growth in building improvements and a new textbook and DVD of the
history of the Dakota tribe. “With the new buildings, renovations and plans for
more space, we are looking at a future enrollment of about 500 students,” said
Cynthia Lindquist Mala, CCCC president and member of the Dakota people at Fort
Totten.
http://www.grandforksherald.com/
Bay Mills sets pace for two-year
colleges
Bay Mills Indian Reservation, Michigan: Six Michigan community colleges are
among the fastest-growing campuses in the nation. Among them is Bay Mills
Community College which leads the way with a 35.5% increase in student
enrollment from 2005-2006. It's also ranked 6th nationally for a two-year
public institution with less than 2,000 students. BMCC is a tribal land grant
college. “To keep its status as a tribal land grant, 51 percent of students
must be Native American,” said Steve Yanni, vice president of operations and
registrar. Yanni credits three things for the increasing enrollment: an
improvement in recruiting, an improved academic reputation and a new scholarship
program.
http://www.sturgisjournal.com/articles/2007/12/09/news/doc475c964880108514519405.txt
Education consortium welcomes new tribal
college members
Virginia: Nisagvik College and the College of the Muscogee Nation are the newest
members of The American Indian Higher Education Consortium. Gerald Gipp, AIHEC
executive director, welcomed the new colleges. ''These two new colleges
represent the continuing growth of the tribal college movement. We understand
that not all tribal communities can build their own college; however, we expect
to see an increase in the number of new tribal colleges over the next decade.''
He added: ''With the addition of our first member institution from Alaska, the
advocacy base for the tribal college movement and for AIHEC is increased to 14
states."
Ilisagvik College was established in 1995 and is located in Barrow, Alaska. The
2-year community college serves a largely Inupiat Eskimo student population.
The College of the Muskogee nation is located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Founded in
2004, CMN emphasizes Native culture, values, language and self-determination.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096416190
Aboriginal College Under Threat
British Columbia: Hundreds of indigenous students could be forced into the
mainstream education system if B.C. closes Victoria's only public Aboriginal
college. The Education Department say the Victorian College of Koorie Education
is failing to meet state benchmarks in literacy and numeracy. Victoria College
teaches about 200 students across four campuses in Mildura, Morwell, Glenroy and
Swan Hill. Any move to close the college is likely to spark political tension,
H-Amindian Listserve
Cuts coming at cash-strapped First Nations University
Saskatchewan: First Nations University of Canada has a $1, 200,000 deficit. Ten
positions -- from full-time teaching positions to student service help and
janitorial jobs -- will remain unfilled to save $400,000 in wages. Other cuts
include a freeze on traveling and program mergers. Al Ducharme, a
vice-president, said if the federal Indian and Northern Affairs Department would
come through with "top-up funding," this plan could be reversed. FNU is planning
to negotiate with them. "We think we have a tremendous case to present to
them," Ducharme said. "How can they deny the First Nations University that
funding? We have a role to play in Canada's economy, we have a role to play in
Saskatchewan's economy. We will contribute."
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2007/12/13/fnuc-cuts.html#skip300x250
Native American Student Journalists
Organize
Arizona: Journalism students at the University of Arizona have formed a
national chapter of the Native American Journalists Association. Thirteen
undergraduate and graduate students from several majors and five different
tribes have joined the UA group. A private donor is covering the cost of
membership dues and the academic institutional membership. UA's chapter is the
second NAJA student chapter in the country.
http://uanews.org/node/17404
The only Native American astronomer?
Indiana: Dennis Lament, Dine'/Ashiwi/Mvskoke, may be the only Native American
astronomer in the U.S. with -- or working on -- a graduate degree. He intends to
change that. "Our stories tell us how to live, and we don't have to lose them
when we move into university settings," said Lamenti. "It's all in the stars."
Lamenti's activities include:
This spring, the IU graduate student plans to bring Native youth to Bloomington
for a retreat in astronomy;
Chairing the United States' Cultural Astronomy and Storytelling National
Committee and planning a big event for June 2009. He hopes that Native elders
will speak about astronomy in their respective cultures;
Planning a live Web cast of the summer solstice from an ancient observatory --
possibly from Chaco Canyon or Chitzen Itza. It will be broadcast to museums and
observatories across the country and mainly targets youth;
Planning to take Native students to Kitt Peak National Observatory on
the Tohono O'odham Nation for a week-long study of astronomy.
"Many
observatories like Kitt Peak are located on the sacred ground of local tribes,"
said Lamenti. "And I believe that if the employees and astronomers working at
these sites can be Native Americans, then they should be. Hopefully these
programs will help bring more Native Americans into the field."
http://www.physics.sfsu.edu/~dlamenti/http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/7009.html
MSU chemical engineering student chooses
different path
Montana: In December, Katie Hoyt graduated from Montana State University with a
degree in chemical engineering. Katie could immediately find a job and earn
nearly $60,000 per year. Instead, the Tlingit tribal member is headed to El
Salvador to teach English. "El Salvador has begun a lot of social change. This
is a chance to contribute a bit," said Hoyt, 22. Hoyt was one of only 11
students to win a Morris K. Udall Native American Congressional Internship to
Washington D.C. As a Udall intern, Hoyt met leaders in the National Congress
of American Indians, the Indian Health Service, and other organizations. "I have
a sort of damn-the-man attitude," Hoyt said. "I'd like to work for more
humanitarian causes than for corporations." Hoyt grew up with a strong bond to
her Native American roots and plans to eventually settle near her family or
tribe. "My family has worked very hard to keep my brother and me aware of our
heritage," she said. "If I were a non-native, I would not be as interested in
staying close to home or near Alaska, but because of my heritage, I'm invested
in those things. They're very meaningful to me."
http://www.nativebiz.com/community/News,op=visit,nid=17250.html
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